Prison City of Qalqilya

P. Miller, on January 23, 2007, said:

Israel's Wall surrounds Qalqilya on all sides, Israeli and Palestinian, making the town one giant prison of humanity. Here is a shot from the Israeli side with a patrol going by.

el_cominero, on March 11, 2007, said:

Patrolling the wall to protect from what? Suicide bombers perhaps? Why don't you juxtapose this picture with a picture of the dead children at the Passover Seder in Netanya. Where do you think their suicide bomber murderer came from? One guess.

Big Ed, on March 22, 2007, said:

I have passed this (wall) several times and do not see it as a prison. It is there to stop snipers firing from the security of their homes onto vehicles traveling along the motorway. When humans can live together in peace there will be no need for such structures.

P. Miller, on March 22, 2007, said:

If the wall only separated Qalqilya from the Israel side, I would agree that Israel would be justified. Unfortunately, Israel is expert in using security considerations to further its territorial aims. Instead of building a wall just between Israel and the West bank, Israel has completely surrounded Qalqilya and has destroyed its economic existence. A single set of check points leads into the city from the West Bank (Palestinian) side. Ilan Pappe, in his recent book "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine," noted that Qalqilya was a potential target of ethnic cleansing by Israel back in 1948. Israel is just late getting the task of destroying the city.

henrybrice, on April 1, 2007, said:

Actually the wall is only along the western edge of kalqilya. It runs between kalqilya and a major highway that is only a couple of hundred meters away. It was built after a terrorist sniper from Kalqilya shot and killed a six year old girl in her family's car.

Incidentaly, there is one major pedestrian crossing, one major road crossing and a good number of agricultural gates that allow people in and out of Kalqilya. Please don't make up facts...

P. Miller, on April 2, 2007, said:

The wall is NOT only along the western edge; it surrounds the entire city of Qalqilya. No city of this size can survive such restrictions on the freedom of movement. This represents a cruel form of collective punishment and stealing of land.

"My town and its people are slowly suffocating." http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=5040

And, according to Article 33 of the Geneva conventions, collective punishment is a war crime:

Article 33. No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Geneva_Convention

bbloomen, on October 20, 2007, said:

Typical Arab apologist. Maybe when the Arabs stop inciting hate, and rather teach their children to live in harmony with their Jewish neighbors these walls can come down.

Don Basilio, on November 7, 2007, said:

P. Miller wrote: "No city of this size can survive such restrictions on the freedom of movement". And I ask: Indeed? Can Israel live without this wall that saves hundreds of lives from suicide bombers who's only aim is to spread death and terror among civillian population? What is more important? Freedom of movement or the right to live? Therefore the quotation of the Geneva Conventions is misleading. If P. Miller wants to quote the Geneva Convention he should quote it to those Palestinians who are killing innocent civillians purposefully and dare to call themselves "freedom fighters". No, they are not!They are just plain vicious murderers. And this wall was erected in defense from such terrorists who are coming always from its Palestinian side. But facts never seems to bother malicious libels.

speodeo, on November 26, 2007, said:

Congratulations with your wall. The Palestinian must feel very safe now they are so good protected from the oustide world. Just like the people from eastn Germany (DDR) have been experienced for 40 years. To save costs maybe there are some parts left form the former Berlin wall. There is also a second hand "Schießbefehl" for sale. Interesting price!

P. Miller, on December 19, 2007, said:

Mr. Basilio asks "Can Israel live without this wall." Yes they can, they must give up their occupation and system of oppression of the Palestinians, they must give up the Apartheid settlement project, etc. etc. The elements of peace with Palestinians are well known. But, as I already stated, the wall is not simply a security measure which sits on Israel's border. It is a territorial and Apartheid measure, which steals Palestinian lands, controls Palestinian movement INSIDE Palestinian areas, and destroys the fabric of Palestinian society. If Israel had built the wall on the border line, with minimal disruption of Palestinian lives in the West Bank, then it might have been justifiable. But it was not built that way, and the International Court of Justice has ruled that it is illegal. What an awful disgrace.

gjorden, on October 10, 2008, said:

you are: stupid / lier / arab... this is not prison, this is the safety wall that keeps us, the israelis, from the arab terrorists who wishes to invade our settlements and kill all of our families! what would YOU do instead of us in the situation, smart ass?! Its also obvious that you dont know that if you're going down the wall on the map you can see that in a same situation appears the israeli settlement Alfey Menashe, that also surrounded by the wall, and actually, therefore it is surrounded by arab villages! and if you don't believe, you can see by your self... before you're getting stupid by using a word like "PRISON"!

P. Miller, on October 10, 2008, said:

gjorden's use of "arab" is obviously bigoted. The sad thing about Alfey Menashe and other settlements is that they are completely illegal under international law and an affront to human dignity. The reason the racist Jewish only settlements are "surrounded" by Palestinian villages is that the settlements were built on Palestinian land.

Of course, we all knew they weren't just for defense but part of Israel's land grab of vital lands in the West Bank. The initial apologies for the wall was that it would just be a temporary measure. Speaking of lying: Israel isn't saying that anymore and clearly intends to confiscate the lands behind the wall.

cgarner, on January 7, 2009, said:

I have friends who have lived in Alfe Menashe for YEARS... there was NOTHING there before these people built their community... NOW the "Palestinians" want the land?!?! Alfe Menashe is a 'gated community' so that the people there can live safely. so that they do not have to worry about their children being killed.